Blackhawks Finish Big Weekend By Beating Boston
After beating the hottest team in the league on Friday night, the Chicago Blackhawks showed championship mettle again on Sunday afternoon when they won a rematch of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final with a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins.
With two strong performances this weekend, the previously struggling Hawks bounced back and re-established their place as the team to beat in the NHL.
Overtime had been a problem for the Blackhawks since the beginning of November; Chicago had lost seven straight games that had lasted longer than 60 minutes before Sunday. But the Hawks were able to earn the second point for the first time since Nov. 29 behind a shootout goal by Patrick Kane, who had struggled in the shootout this year himself (0-9 coming in).
The Blackhawks remain the NHL’s best offense, averaging 3.51 goals per game. But Anaheim (third – 3.39) and Boston (seventh – 2.85) came in with high-powered offenses of their own. Corey Crawford had two phenomenal games, posting a combined .930 save percentage (53 saves against 57 shots).
Crawford hadn’t won in the new calendar year before breaking through with an exceptional performance against Anaheim. On Sunday, he was strong once again as the Bruins put 36 shots on net in regulation and overtime – and the shootout. Only Brad Marchand beat Crawford on Sunday, scoring twice in regulation and once in the shooutout.
Crawford has not allowed more than three goals in seven starts in January, and has a .922 save percentage in spite of his 2-1-4 record in the month.
Chicago’s penalty kill also made a statement this weekend. Boston and Anaheim are both converting 18.9 percent of their chances with the advantage this year, which is tied for 12th in the NHL with San Jose. But the Hawks commitment to blocking shots (most notably by Michal Handzus on Sunday) and Crawford’s work killed all six penalties called on the Hawks.
The superstars continue to shine for the Blackhawks, led by Marian Hossa’s three goals in the last two games. But a surprisingly significant impact came from perhaps the least-likely source on the Hawks roster: Brandon Bollig.
In 23:51 on the ice over the two games (35 shifts), Bollig was credited with 14 hits, one blocked shot and scored his fifth goal of the season to tie the game in the second period. Maybe his most impressive stat was the zero penalty minutes he accumulated; he was challenged on a number of occasions in both games, but didn’t drop the gloves.
Marcus Kruger was credited with a team-high four blocked shots on Sunday, and had an assist in both weekend games. He now ranks third among all NHL forwards with 51 blocked shots this season.
Kruger has already tied his career high with 17 assists in only 51 games, and is five points away from his career high of 26 that was set in 2011-12. He is also winning a career-best 56.4 percent of his faceoffs.
Hossa, who scored his 20th goal of the season Sunday, has scored five goals and has seven points in his last five games. He has now scored at least 20 goals in 13 of the last 14 NHL seasons, only coming up short of the mark when he scored 17 in 40 games during the lockout-shortened 2013-14 season.
Hossa continues to be one of the best defensive forwards in the league and showed it again on Sunday. He leads all NHL forwards with 57 takeaways in only 46 games, and also leads all forwards with a plus-25 rating this season. Equally impressive: Hossa has only been called for 10 penalty minutes this year, a number Jonathan Toews earned with a single toss of a broken stick on Sunday.
Chicago is back in action on the road against Detroit on Wednesday night.
ghost town here, score first we win, simple recipe
Oduya, thats your guy behind you! Bs had some good looks in s/out but didn’t finish. Glad that UC fans got 2 Ws this w/end. They deserved it. Loved it when Dunc gave it right back to 63 in corner, cross checking apparently not a penalty worth calling today until 59:55. You just never know anymore with the refs
Let’s not over do these 2 wins, while great, still long way to go. The ‘losing’ streak was over blown, lets not do the same here after beating 2 real good teams.. We still turn puck over way too much for my liking but hey, nobody cares when you win…. its team wide, but #4 is soaring towards a 5:1 gv/tk ratio..twice his norm or more
26 looked good on PK and ok w/ 10/81 (like last year)
27 – caught on the wrong side of the rink… and almost cost Hawks another game…
RDale- 4 obvious penalties in 20 seconds all behind the Hawk’s Goal… NO CALLS!!!
I thought I was watching Dick the Bruiser vs. Iron Sheik on channel 26- and the refs saw NOTHING!!!
Kane with the shootout goal – hopefully that’s the spark that re-ignites his engine.
Bickell with another step in the right direction. Three hits, 1 takeaway and 2 shots on goal. He’s trending upward. Patience is required.
A solid game played by both teams. A very enjoyable weekend of Hawks hockey.
It was good to see 2 points-it seems like along time in between overtime wins. On the positive front Handzus played a really good game and continues to deliver on the PK and filling in as necessary (can’t go back to 2C) and Smith is fearless and comes to play every night.
4 and 27 look gassed and Hjalmarsson has gone from looking like a Norris candidate to a bottom four defenseman on a lower tier team. He could use three weeks off but instead will be crashing and banging in Sochi. I believe there are 9 more games until the Olympics it would be nice to see a couple of the IceHogs up to give them some experience and spread the minutes out but that might not be in their thinking.
Yea, those 4 penalty’s in 20sec. with no call was bs. I think they called the 4th one on us (7). They need to call the very first penalty of those or none. What do they do, let it go, let it go, let it go & then call the 4th one on us. wtf.
Kaner looks like he is ‘a recipe for disaster’ (dante’s peak). He is going to explode with a lot of points soon.
wall, yeah the refs saw nothing !! just like referee Connie Marker wouldn’t see the bad guys cheating during those old matches on b&w tv ha, sounds like your ch26 was my ch4
Kudos for CC too. He was solid like I thought he would be. Still, it was important he get some wins even though he should have bagged some prior. I actually think he’s been better post injury than before. Regardless, I don’t spend any time worrying about 50.
First of all, it was a heck of a game – the opposite of the Calgary-Canuckleheads matchup, which was a disgrace to the greatest sport in the world.
What a fantastic game: fast and physical, spectacular plays and an epic battle between two outstanding franchises. The Hawks and Bruins traded A+ chances in the 1st, but I thought the Hawks had the edge through the first 20. The 2nd tier was advantage Boston for at least the first 10-12 mins. The Hawks looked a little sluggish in that 2nd period, turned the puck over repeatedly until such a mistake cost them a goal. But does it really surprise anyone considering Chicago has played more games than most other hockey clubs?
CC had a great game against Boston, looked sharp and made a couple of miraculous saves on second chance opportunities. B’s Campbell had a wide open net twice, but fortunately the pass was not tape to tape.
Kudos to Bollig: he had two outstanding games, was involved in the game not only physically, but actually played some real solid hockey, cycling, absorbing hits, finding his teammates, and shooting the puck. If he continues to play with a purpose, the 4th line will be very good.
Big HOss was – once again – all-world. Handzus can still be valuable in special situations for the Hawks, but not as a 2C. Coach Q is defense first and Zus fits that bill, unlike Pirri. Also, Q likes smart and CONFIDENT hockey players and so far Pirri has not been able to impress Q. I guess we have to wait for Teuvo.
Bollig had a chance to fight Lucic and he didn’t. It should have been obvious for him to drop the gloves there. 5 minutes without Lucic vs 5 minutes without Bollig is a big win for the Hawks.
What a soft goal let in my Tuukka Rask, is there a goalie controversy in Boston now? 7 million dollar a year goalies don’t let in soft goals like that!
Kane is getting tons of shots, just not lighting the lamp. The goals will start pouring back in soon.
PK needs some work. It’s been awful for the last few weeks. Teams have done a good job of attacking the point to negate Patrick Sharp, so they need to use that to their advantage by getting someone open in the middle of the ice.
What a great game. I really enjoy two watching the top teams play each other. These 2 teams also respect one another, its sure not like playing the Canucks. Now other teams are starting to find out just how disrespectable they are. Can’t wait till we play them & put them in there place without having to be the best fighters to win the game
Everyone has good points about Kane about to explode…However, I’m worried that he will be exploding in a jersey that doesn’t have the Indian Head on it. I am from the U.S. and am proud to be a citizen. It would be great for hockey and the country to see Kane go insane (in a good way) at the Olympics. I hope the Blackhawks get some benefit of an offensive explosion, if it occurs…
Marchand was a beast… The Hawks were trying to knock that guy off the puck in cycle… and The Hawks just bounced off of him all game!!! Li’l Bastard!
I couldn’t believe how slow Krecji is… the guy is great in O zone… but he was very slow/exhausted trying to skate back on the Hawks 1st goal… skated like 26
Shaw beat Bergeron on FO’s???
Kudos to Bollig. He must be reading this blog……or maybe Q sat him down and told him what he needs to do to stay in the NHL. JS, good comment about Bollig/Lucic. There is a time for a role player to take his place in the box and that was one.
Love how Shaw reacts and matches physicality with physicality. I know he has taken some bad penalties earlier this year, I am just glad it was a clean hit.
Hawks did play very well as all have said. But they made A LOT of bad mistakes. I think you could say that CC stole one for us.
RDale- did you watch w aluminum foil on your antennas too!!!
Plenty of heart and guts over the weekend the Hawks reminded some of us why they have been a regular contender over the last few seasons. When push comes to shove they showed up. This team still has the fewest losses in the league which is impressive.
Time to give some credit, Bollig had a nice weeked, probably his 2 best games of the season. Bickell showed up on Friday but was a no show monstly yesterday w only 8+ mins of ice time. But thats a step in the right direction.
My one criticism has got to be the ice time that Bickell and Versteeg are seeing. I want Q to roll lines more often, however, Steeg might be banged up and Bickell is coming off an injury. So I am not going to jump on Q. I just wish the organization used their depth more to keep players fresh for the “real” season. Zus is still playing too much IMO
Go Hawks!
Ok, great weekend of hockey as Hawks managed to beat both the Ducks and Bruins the past 2 games, but let’s not get too full of it.. In the game against ANA I was good to see we were on top of our team game, but the Ducks looked slow/tired and seemingly every bounce went our way until the hotdog mistake/turnover by #4 that led to a goal and then the terrible softie give up by Crawford. My view is when you outplay a team by that margin, get most of the breaks and then barely hang on it’s a win but not as solid a victory as it should of could of been. Regardless, I’ll take it.
Against BOS, great game by both teams that was more balanced and (like the SC series), could have gone either way. CC had a good game but seemed to struggle on his blocker side when approached by off wing shooters (Marshands 1st goal was not great and CC’s jersey saved another that got thru by Krejci I think it was.) Agree with poster who also said we gave up LOTS of bad chances off turnovers that need to be corrected (including a terrible drop by Brookbank that Crawford saved him on.)
Bigger challenge is Hawks now play 9 more game before Olympic break- and 9 of them ARE ON THE ROAD. The last 5 roadies (in a row) are against VAN, SJ, LA, ANA and PHO.. Buckle your seat belts boys, this is going to be a huge test to see how we can handle a brutal road trip.
After watching Anaheim against the Hawks and St. Louis, I still have my doubts. Hawks dominated them possession wise, St. Louis just as much. St. Louis attempted 73 shots against them, Chicago attempted 74. I would imagine this is because Chicago and St. Louis have the best defensive pairings in the league, so their quickness/size helps negate Anaheim’s forecheck.
I still think Bickell and Versteeg need more minutes… although, if it means less minutes for Handzus I guess that’s good with me.
Versteeg has, generally speaking, disappointed since coming back to Chicago. Hence why I suspect his minutes are being curtailed. He needs to step it up…bottom line. When / if he does that, then he will pay more.
Bickell looked better Friday night, but no so good Sunday afternoon. I can’t figure him out at this point. He needs to suck it up and break on through…remember, he was bad BEFORE he got hurt this season.
I think we will see the Hawks call up a 13th forward in a few days. I’m hopping it is Joakim Nordstrom. We can lose Kostka.
Bickell, Versteeg, and Handzus has been one of the better lines since being put together… but we can keep saying that they are struggling even though every metric including the eye test says they aren’t.
@wall, it was the only way! Now look at us, 46”HDs, DVRs, 100+ channels
gvwy/tkwy
13-14 +27
2013 +122
11-12 +187
10-11 +144
09-10 +133
Big win by the Hawks against another very good hockey team…and it shows how the Hawks very often play to the level of their opponent…Q is getting back to rolling 4 lines now that Shaw has solidified the 2nd line and Kruger is back home on the 4th…
As Tab said a good weekend for Bollig…and not because he scored a flukey goal, because he skated, he hit, and he finished his checks and then got the hell off the ice…that’s his job…Smith and Kruger are ridiculously good line mates for a 4th line.
A for CC, a very good game, and what he is supposed to do…I didn’t think he was “brilliant” at all versus ANA…he was serviceable at best…and JS, the critiques that CC gets here aren’t saying he isn’t a good NHL goalie, just that his numbers this season, in EVERY category, are near the bottom of the NHL starting goalies…he needs a good stretch like this, to get his numbers back up…his PK play was much better this weekend, and it needs to be…
Nice to see Hoss rolling now…with Sharpy drawing a lot of extra attention, it has given Tazer and Hoss a little more room and they have taken advantage…love the Shaw 2nd line…and agree with others, if Bickell is going to play, he needs more ice time…this team has to roll 4 lines to be successful…the last 2 weeks have once again proven it.
When the Hawks are focused and rolling 4 lines, they are almost impossible to beat…as for Hammer and Oduya, they need some time off and they are NOT going to get it with the Olympics…hopefully SWE will bow out early, giving them so extra time.
Go Hawks!!!
Crawfords stats are kind of misleading since the penalty kill has sucked. And if anyone spouts edzos silly statement of the “goalie has to be the best penalty killer” I will cry.
Pretty much the same issue the other year with Patrick Kane when everyone said he sucked but the only reason his points were low was because the Power Play was godawful.
His even strength save % is at about his career even strength average so the only real outlier is the PK. As far as NHL goalies go, Crawford is pretty close to the model for consistency which is neat.
Anyone see the recent rumors about Hawks looking into Ladd and now E.Kane? Obviously NOT likely in either case, but I’d be very interested if Kane was really an available option.. What would it take? A LOT is my guess.. TT + Leddy + draft pick or Morin? Hmmmm..
Good comments.
We can all be at least a little happy about the last two games.
Forgive me – I don’t know exactly where – somebody mentioned something about trading Teuvo Teravainen (and Bickell?) to Winnipeg for Andrew Ladd…? HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA — GOOD ONE!!!!!!!!!! I like Ladd a LOT – by FAR the one player I would like the Hawks to have been able to keep from the 2010 team, but, WTF?!?! – back to reality. Who makes this shit up…?
Happy Tuesday. Go Hawks!!
Negzz, “E.Kane? What would it take? A LOT is my guess.. TT + Leddy + draft pick or Morin? Hmmmm..” — “HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA — GOOD ONE!!!!!!!!!! WTF?!?! – back to reality!!!!”
(I said it previously, and somebody scoffed – “Teravainen? Let the bidding begin with Jonathan Huberdeau, or and *equal* “commodity”…”)
Go Hawks!!! (I believe Teuvo Teravainen isn’t going anywhere besides Chicago…)
…”Perspective” (In my opinion.) – Teuvo Teravainen = Nathan MacKinnon, NOT some “Rockford Shuttle” guy.
AJ- Maybe the penalty kill has sucked because Crawford’s save percentage on it is low (it is). Maybe the power play was bad because Patrick Kane wasn’t scoring points on the man advantage. These things go hand in hand.
@Dickie, These rumors have been bandied about on rumor sites/blogs for the past few weeks as the deadline and Olympics freeze is approaching. My guess is the “prices” are GM’s floating concepts/markets and/or reporters/bloggers desperate to create news/readers. As for your thought that TT (who has proven nothing at the NHL level), and Huberdeau (the reigning NHL Rookie of the Year), are “equal commodities”, and that TT is the equivalent of Mackinnon? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! Now THAT’s funny!
Before you/we anoint TT as a “star” in the NHL like the 2 players you compare him to, let’s see him play in N.America, excel in Rockford and put on about 20 pounds to handle the pounding on the smaller ice.. If you’re counting on him the be Hawks star the 2c next year- well- don’t count on it. With all his promise and talent, I’d bet he’s not in the show until ’15-’16.. Be delighted to be wrong, but seeing it for what it is..
@Dickie: To offer another unbiased look, here’s what HF (Hockey Futures) currently says about TT:
Talent Rating: 7.5
Probty of success: C
So, they say he’s between an “8” and “7”at this point by which they mean:
8. First-Line Forward/ No. 2 Defenseman / No. 1 Goaltender – players with definite skill that might be just a cut below elite status, but still possessing All-Star potential.
Examples: Patrick Marleau, Jason Spezza, Mike Richards.
7. Second-Line Forward/ No. 3-4 Defenseman / Journeyman No. 1 Goaltender – players not quite good enough to play on the top line or pairing on a regular basis, but still possessing enough talent to contribute offensively, defend with some authority, or competently play the goaltender’s position for long stretches.
Examples: Andy McDonald, Ryan Malone
By “probability of success” they mean:
“C”: May reach potential, could drop 2 ratings – has shown some flashes, but may ultimately not have what it takes to reach his potential. The potential rating is multiplied by 80 percent for depth chart purposes to show the uncertainty of a player reaching his potential.
@Dickie- Finally (as for your comparisons), for the record:
* MacKinnon: rated by HF as 9.0 and PROVING IT for the Avs already.
* Huberdeau: rated 8.5 by HF with NHL ROY award in his pocket..
* Evander Kane: rated by HF as 8.5 and proving he can play in the NHL at a high level.
I could go on, but hey, I guess you know…
Solid analysis Negzz, I absolutely love that website (Hockey Future). They do a good job of allowing us fans a realistic view of minor league prospects. Sometimes are wrong, Shaw for example, but overall do an excellent job.
Negzz, NOT making a direct comparison, but “proven nothing at the NHL level” can also be applied to Wayne Gretzky 1978-79. Again, NOT making a direct comparison, but “put on about 20 pounds to handle the pounding” – Gretzky had to gain 20 lbs. (I’m sure he didn’t weigh 185 back then). (Denis Savard played at 170 lbs.?)
Yes, I’m aware and I’ve also read other more flattering opinions of TT. And, I know that some draft picks achieve their potential like Huberdeau and others turn out to be Alain Daigle (- although Chicago’s scouting/drafting has improved immensely since Pulford left the building). I think in “the ‘prices’ are GM’s floating concepts/markets and/or reporters/bloggers desperate to create news/readers”, TT seems to be rated as pocket change. My point is, “What would other teams demand in return for their top prospect?”.
Evander Kane is a solid player, despite some (mental?) problems, but TT, Leddy, and Morin or a pick (- if that proposition was in reference to Andrew Ladd, I would guess that Kane would have to be in the same price range)…c’mon.
Thank you. I appreciate you sharing your insight.
@Dickie, I get your points about Gretzky but that is apples and oranges. Noone in their right mind puts TT’s potential in the same universe as the Great Ones projected potential even back at the same stage in their careers (despite their physical size similarities.)
As for the trades proposals I’ve seen floated, if I am the GM of the Hawks here would be my take:
1. Ladd for TT + #8 + ?: Ladd is their leader/Captain and his contract is on the books thru ’15-16 at $4.4. I would want significant future pieces to trade him if I was the Jets. Despite my strong affinity for the man and his game (toughness, leadership, O/D 2-way game, etc), I would not part with TT + Leddy (let alone another piece) for a guy who is a winger and already 28. Part of this decision would be influenced by my plans for Leddy, on whom I am on the fence, but the answer is NO. (Regardless, I doubt this is a realistic rumor.)
2. E.Kane for TT + #8 + Morin or pick? On this one I am a bit more thoughtful. E.Kane is bigger, faster and tougher than TT (attributes the Hawks could use on their top-6), and he’s only 22. He is ranked higher than TT (by HF), and has proven he can play a top-6 role in the NHL with plenty of upside to mature and grow. WIN will need a big offer and some quality pieces to do this deal with anyone. His contract runs through ’17-18 at $5.25 so the Hawks would have to move some space. Downside is he’s a winger and will that change our ongoing 2C issues. That brings me to Leddy who has 1 more year at $2.7 on his deal. If I think Clendening is going to replace #8 next year then in that scenario and I would do the deal. If I am going to move Oduya and move Leddy up to a 3-4 pairing role with #4 I would not do the deal.
Either way, I like Teravainen’s potential and obviously hope he turns out to be another star, but I also like E.Kane and would love to see him in a Hawks sweater on our top-6. Not so crazy imho, although I doubt the Jets would move him regardless..
Just my 2 cents..
Negzz,
Interesting. “2C issues” – maybe Bowman has had TT penciled-in there since the day he fell to the Hawks in the draft? TT is a playmaker. Could be why SB has not overpaid for a #2 center…and part of why Handzus was resigned.
I think Leddy still has upside – he’s had to play with alternating partners (- don’t know how much hindrance that actually is) and obviously is still learning the position. Several posters seem eager to hand Clendening a spot although he has proven nothing at the NHL level — he’s another top prospect I would be reluctant to part with.
Too say TT is undersized is fair, but his comparisons have been with P. Kane who was definitely undersized when entering the league and didn’t slow him down (Kane is special though) Also Huberdeau has been mentioned and I saw him play pretty much every game in Saint John with the Sea Dogs (outstanding player) but a very skinny kid and no bigger than TT (maybe in height only). Most writers and bloggers probably have never seen him play. Let’s see what the kid can do. i’m sure he will be successful
Maybe the Hawks are still looking at Nielson from the Isles. He and Leddy have almost the identical contract and the Isles are probably not be making the playoffs
Quick thoughts re: trade “rumors”
Nielson would be awesome. Wrote about him 2+ years ago. No way the Islanders move him. He’s good and cheap and young still.
Evader Kane… LOL. Don’t drink the bong water. He’s a fantastic player, but he’s too expensive for the Hawks. $5.25M per thru 2017-18 means either a core player or 2 roster players have to go… and I don’t think the Jets are trading him for Bickell & Leddy. It’s called a salary cap folks…
Ladd? WTF would Winnipeg trade their captain for? He’s the only guy they SHOULD keep.
Teravainen has a good future in the NHL and, perhaps more importantly, he’s cost controlled for the next few years.
The Blackhawks have a lot of really nice young prospects, but we have to keep in mind that they don’t have a lot of cap space on their NHL roster. Moving kids for a talented NHL player might make sense for both sides of some “rumors,” but the Hawks have to be able to afford the player coming back.
Negzz and DD- fun banter… But like Gbladz said- TT’s game is not about contact… it is about vision, stickhandling/passing, and IQ/anticipating… He has nowhere the speed of Nate Mc… but he does have better IQ/Vision/Creativity… on a lot of teams he wouldn’t be that special… But on the Hawks team with quick puck movement and anticipation of where the puck is going vs. where IT IS…He will be great…
TT- will not Play in AHL… He could only get hurt there by hacks… Not enough talent/IQ in AHL to benefit TT in any way!!! It would be like GoodWill Hunting trying to learn Calculus from Forrest Gump!!!
For those prospectus ratings. Yea, MacKinnon was rated 9.0 and Huberdeau was rated 8.5. One of the three R’sOY was Saad rated 7.5 So like Saader, T was rated 7.5 & could be on the same level as Huberdoo. Even though that is a good site, I think there off on 20/86 rating… mostly because they wernt drafted in top 5 picks… Yet Saader is a top 3 rookie that yr.
We better not trade T unless it involves a top young player like those… Like Wall said certain high end prospects are going to work better/worse depending on team/roster.
I want to keep T for a long time. 20 too.
re Winnipeg has a new coach and are doing well, dont’t think they are willing to sell off just yet. They have alot of ground to make up but still. They might play themselves in or at least close. It’s tough call for them going forward if they stay close, whether to sell off or try for push
@Dickie, every time i see u post i say/think ‘Duck’ Dunn!